EAC at MOTOTECH 2026 South | Panel Discussion: Smart Factory ROI

Organised by OEM Update Magazine and the Mototech India team, MOTOTECH 2026 South brought together automotive OEMs, technology providers, and manufacturing professionals for a day of substantive dialogue on the future of automotive manufacturing in India.

The panel was moderated by Rajesh Nath, Managing Director, VDMA India, and anchored around three questions directed at Ketan Jadhav:

If you had to convince a skeptical CEO that smart manufacturing is worth investing in, what would be your strongest argument?

The strongest case for smart manufacturing is not built on technology enthusiasm — it is built on operational reality. For manufacturers in India, the competitive pressures on quality, lead time, and cost are intensifying. Smart manufacturing, when implemented with clarity of purpose, addresses these pressures directly and measurably. The argument to a skeptical CEO is simple: the cost of inaction is rising faster than the cost of investment.

What is more important: a brilliant technology with uncertain returns or a modest technology with predictable returns?

Predictable returns win, especially for mid-sized manufacturers navigating constrained budgets and multiple organisational priorities. The discipline of choosing modest, proven technology with a defined payback period builds the internal capability and confidence needed to take on more complex transformations over time. Brilliance without business alignment is a liability.

Can India become a global manufacturing leader without becoming a smart manufacturing leader?

The two are increasingly inseparable. As global supply chains demand greater transparency, traceability, and responsiveness, manufacturers that operate without digital infrastructure will find themselves excluded from the most valuable tiers of the value chain. India's ambition as a manufacturing destination cannot be sustained on cost advantage alone, it must be backed by operational intelligence.

Smart factory transformation is not about technology adoption for its own sake. It is about making targeted, ROI-driven investments that solve real problems and improve measurable outcomes - productivity, quality, uptime, energy efficiency, and operational visibility building the foundation for sustainable, scalable growth.

For manufacturers at any stage of this journey, the right question is not "what is the most advanced technology available?" but "what investment will deliver the most certain return?"

For more discussions connect with the experts Mr. Rajesh Nath and Mr. Ketan Jadhav.